Heavenly Yuah calmed down as soon as she sat on the sofa.
Whenever the Heavenly Demon opened their battle eyes, they always caused trouble, and it seemed like Heavenly Yuah would be no different.
No, still, we have to film the drama.
What if our drama set gets blown up (metaphorically)? What would I do then? It’d only harm me.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but please calm down first.”
“You know what it’s about, right? They threw trash at TS, didn’t they?”
“Oh, so it’s about that, huh?”
“Then what else should make me irritated? Our set is going well.”
“Y-yes?”
Letting out a low sigh, Heavenly Yuah started apologizing.
She hadn’t realized that SBC wasn’t interested in the drama’s success.
“Let me apologize first. Flame didn’t know about any agreement between TS and the broadcasting station.”
“…Isn’t that something we naturally wouldn’t know? This isn’t the FBI or anything.”
The actors, who are almost private entrepreneurs, ultimately rely on the company, and the company is a place that resolves actors’ various problems. But in a case like this, it’s questionable whether finding out first is even possible.
It’s not like we can install wiretaps or surveillance cameras at the broadcasting station.
“That’s why I said this before. It’d be better to film with me for now. Would they dare if I were around?”
“Yes?”
“And Yoon Yeonhee. Yoon Yeonhee and Lee Hyerin are completely opposite. Since Yoon Yeonhee is impossible to work with, I suggested removing her, and I mentioned I could take care of Hyerin with my control. Because Hyerin is someone who’s strong when I’m weak and weak when I’m strong. So, I made the proposal, but Mr. Siwoo declined.”
“…That’s right.”
After the apology came a lecture.
If she had been around, this matter could have been avoided, she claimed.
Did I do something wrong?
If I must be honest, all the issues I’m dealing with now would have been prevented with Heavenly Yuah around.
Because she’s prevented or resolved all these external problems, that’s why Heavenly Yuah has already reached the top at such a young age.
But still, would Moon Suyeon have stayed still if I were to work alongside Heavenly Yuah?
There will undoubtedly be chaos if I collaborate with Heavenly Yuah in this project.
“Anyway, let’s see after this work is over. Starting from the next project, something like this won’t happen.”
“Is it guaranteed that Ms. Yuah will win?”
“Of course.”
“If Ms. Suyeon hears that, it won’t be a pleasant piece of news.”
“Still, in this field, Ms. Suyeon can’t catch up to me.”
This lady remains unwaveringly self-confident.
“Enough with the complaints. Let’s think about what’s next. What are you going to do?”
“What should I do? Just focus on filming.”
“No, are you going to let this slide? Instead, we should just ruin the filming itself. Frankly, I want to stir things up—tear it all apart.”
“No, what will we do about… the bet then?”
“My default victory?”
“No, are you just going to eat this up without a fight?”
“Since I’m winning anyway, what’s wrong with eating this up faster?”
“Fine. I won’t buy it.”
Hey, what exactly are you planning to do secretly?
Although the internal gunfights put us in a rather disadvantageous situation, it’s not the time to give up yet.
I still have two bullets left.
To make Heavenly Yuah, who was trying to win without effort, understand, I decided to present a proposal that seemed convincing.
Just telling her to let it slide with a smile wouldn’t prevent her from scheming again behind the scenes.
“SBC’s actions may be unpleasant, but there’s nothing we can really do about it, right? What can a single actor do against a broadcasting station?”
“Other than Flame actors not participating in SBC productions, there’s not much we can do. Anyway, this is why I’m frustrated.”
“Well, yeah. But won’t SBC eventually stop producing their own dramas? Like their founding anniversary specials.”
“Um… so…”
“Yes, let’s tackle that.”
“Oh…”
“How about we ruin things for SBC by jumping to MBS or TVA? Wouldn’t that bring about justice?”
“…That’s actually right up my alley.”
Actually, it’s more like the New Religion’s style.
While the recent trend involves broadcasting stations scheduling externally produced dramas or co-producing them with external investment, they still occasionally handle in-house productions when they find a genuinely promising project, as these yield more profit.
It’s obvious that the station invests the most effort in these in-house productions.
Since the stakes are high with massive losses if it flops but significant gains if it succeeds, these projects are treated very cautiously, accompanied by huge production costs and big-name actor announcements.
This is like our way of warning other broadcasting companies: “Our show is so strong, so stay out of our way.”
When big productions clash, the potential losses are immense, so most of the time companies strategically avoid these clashes.
So, if they invest heavily, we could go to another station and smash their kettle.
This is the best way to damage a broadcasting station.
Of course, burning the station down or delivering a New Religion punch to the president might sound ideal, but it’s impossible, so my suggestion seemed appealing to Heavenly Yuah.
“Well, yeah. So, what about TS?”
“There’s actually no reason to worry about them.”
“…Why?”
“Because if my plan works, they’ll naturally get served.”
If my plan goes as intended, the transformation of Tae-kyu into an actor will be wildly “successful.”
Tae-kyu, who had been creating chaos from the start with his intention to become an actor, won’t remain quiet after getting his acting itch scratched.
From TS’s perspective, expecting Tae-kyu to bomb as an actor and fully commit to being an idol would result in their own disappointment.
They’re probably going to be fuming inside.
The acting world’s allure is as powerful as the stage’s, and without experiencing success, one would not want to give up easily.
But I plan to ensure success in this drama.
And, to achieve this, there was something I needed from Heavenly Yuah.
“In that sense, could you invest a bit more in my drama’s production budget?”
“The production budget? So you’re asking for even more?”
“Not exactly, but I feel it might be somewhat necessary in the future.”
“Explain your plan first.”
“So…”
If we are to send Tae-kyu into one of the three categories—alien, robot, or AI—we’ll need additional production costs.
Half-hearted attempts won’t do any good; it’s better not to attempt it at all.
Some kind of CG work will be needed no matter what, and that’s not possible under the current situation.
Besides, considering that TS may panic, it’s better to have a cushion to respond from a stable position.
Because ultimately, all of TS’s arguments come down to money.
It would be good to empower Ok Writer in this case to maintain balance.
“Hmm, if it truly succeeds, TS will…”
Heavenly Yuah, who had been laughing mockingly at the idea of turning Tae-kyu into something non-human, slowly nodded as she seemed to understand when the conversation turned towards supporting Ok Writer with production funds.
Apparently, she found this quite plausible.
“But, we’re still in the bet, right?”
“…Is that so?”
“Isn’t asking for production budget investment kind of against the rules?”
“Maybe…”
This audacious woman. After yelling for ruthless punishment just moments ago, she’s acting as if she knows nothing.
Since she’s going to give it anyway, it’s pointless for her to throw a tantrum now.
If that’s the case, I have no intention of forgiving Heavenly Yuah.
“Senior Yuah.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Do you know why I chose this drama?”
“Out of nowhere, what’s this about?”
“So, listen carefully.”
“…Fine, go ahead and tell me.”
“Our father is a fan of Writer Ok.”
“…Ah, Father?”
The moment I mentioned Father, her pupils began to tremble violently.
“And it’s also… there’s a son, you see, who made his debut as an actor, but none of his acquaintances know about it because most of them don’t watch OTT services.”
“Ah, that’s why you chose terrestrial TV…”
“Yes. In that sense, it’s a significant role, but…”
“…I get it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just stop. I understand what you’re saying.”
Ha, as expected, you’re such an easy woman.
In this relationship where we both know each other’s points, how can you defend against the ‘Father’ attack?
You should have given in gracefully when I asked.
Heavenly Yuah continues to firmly believe in her success.
But she has only dealt with well-made dramas thus far and hasn’t experienced the true power of melodramatic productions.
Since I’ve already secured the production budget, it’s time to educate her with a spicy dose of melodrama.
“…Alright. Upon reflection, we do need some investment for the next stage.”
“Next stage?”
“So, Mr. Siwoo, let’s have you cameo in our drama.”
“Cameo? You want to have me appear in KTD?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“Senior Yuah, are you a traitor? That’s our competing work!”
What is this about a cameo in our competing work airing in the same time slot? This is quite impossible to comprehend.
“I’m not a traitor! It’s not just Mr. Siwoo I’m asking.”
“Then what?”
“I’m proposing that I, Ms. Suyeon, and Mr. Siwoo each cameo in different dramas.”
“So, you’re asking me to cameo in KTD and Mom’s Song?”
“Yes. I’ll cameo in Restaurant and Mom’s Song.”
“Hmm…”
“The articles will come out.”
“Surely not…”
“Yes. Flame Civil War. Amicable competitors. You know, grouping me, Ms. Suyeon, and Mr. Siwoo as if we’re equals.”
“Ah…”
It’s a pretty traditional way to push a rookie by tying them with top-tier celebrities.
By constantly bundling people as rivals, it tricks people into believing they are in the same league.
This means Heavenly Yuah intends to elevate my status by linking me with her and Moon Suyeon.
“To be honest, I still think Mr. Siwoo’s drama won’t succeed. Starting from the fragile Writer Ok, the unstable two female leads, even the sub-actors who are subhuman. Right?”
“Maybe that could be true.”
“Moreover, it’s a melodrama. Although the concept is fresh, will it work?”
“Hmm…”
“But even regardless of that, if we tie these three people and compare them often, people will eventually recognize that actor Baek Siwoo’s acting skills and abilities are not inferior to Heavenly Yuah’s.”
“There will also be people who gather clips and compare the performances of the three. If it goes wrong, we might see some blood.”
“Are you lacking in confidence?”
“Not at all.”
“Then let’s do this.”
What? Was this her plan to elevate me all along?
This wasn’t just about the bet; she came to a competing drama with a more significant purpose.
If it works, it seems this method will leave a far greater impact than the success of one or two dramas.
This is a strategy that would be awkward to attempt if I lacked confidence in my acting. But in my case, that’s not at all the situation.
Especially since we had previously worked together in “Gold Rush, Joseon,” this will surely spark quite a bit of attention.
A partnership from a previous project now becoming rivals in ratings.
And what’s more, we’re all from the same company?
Isn’t this another layer of melodrama?
We’ll definitely have some interesting visuals if we start exchanging cameos.
A cameo appearance in a competing drama would indeed be a novel scene.
Moreover, with this media strategy in play…
“All three dramas will see a rise in ratings. The pie of terrestrial TV ratings will surely grow larger compared to before.”
Indeed. Heavenly Yuah.
Just how many advantages is she trying to secure?
If she wins the bet in this situation…
This woman really is incredibly greedy.
